


Remember When It Rained

by Galactique



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Family, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Memories
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-10
Updated: 2017-07-10
Packaged: 2018-11-30 11:23:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 818
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11462568
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Galactique/pseuds/Galactique
Summary: Boba's memories of Kamino and his father seemed like another lifetime now, but they were his only source of hope and comfort.





	Remember When It Rained

When life grew cold and ugly, Boba closed his eyes and remembered the rain. First, the word. Then, then comforting sound as it pattered against his window on Kamino. From there, the floodgate opened and he felt, saw, and heard everything. The enormous, tempestuous waves. The dazzling flashes of lightning. The rolling thunder. The stark white hallways of the facility. His home. His father.

 Boba let himself slip into the past to numb the misery of his current situation, drifting into a time that felt like a distant dream. A time when he was safe and loved.

 ***

 “Boba, I brought you something from Coruscant,” his father called from the front room. “You’re going to love it!”

 Normally, seven-year-old Boba couldn’t contain his happiness when his father returned from a long mission. Sure, he loved spending time with Taun We, but he got anxious the longer Jango was away. He’d always run to the greet him and Jango would scoop him into his arms as Boba hugged him tight around the neck, silently praying that he would stay here on Kamino forever and ever.

 But, not today.

 Boba stayed in his room, sitting cross-legged on the floor as he stared out the rain-streaked window. His model starships were strewn about, but he didn’t feel like playing. His racing thoughts were as stormy as the never-ending maelstrom that swirled outside, threatening to drown him.

 All he could think about was the group of young clones he saw when he was walking around with Taun We in the training sector earlier that day. At first, he was excited to visit. He’d heard about the process for as long as he could remember and saw clones of all different ages from afar, but this was the first time he got a close look. And the first time he really processed the reality of what he was seeing. The group shuffled down the corridor in single file, looking at Boba in curiosity as they passed. The sight made his stomach twist and knot. If he cut his hair and put on a uniform, he would be one of them, lost in a sea of identical beings.

 “Boba, where are you?” Jango said, his footsteps echoing in the hallway.

 “He didn’t want to come out of his room,” Taun We said. “He’s been in there for hours.”

 Boba stayed where he was and didn’t turn around until Jango stepped into his room, still dressed in his shiny Mandalorian armor. He set a small parcel on Boba’s shelf and knelt down, his face etched with concern.

 “What’s wrong?” Jango asked, reaching out and tousling Boba’s hair.

 Boba took a shaky breath and looked into Jango’s eyes. “Am I real?”

 Jango gave him a perplexed look, his brow furrowed. “What do you mean?” he asked gently.

 Boba picked at his fingernails. “The clones. They’re…me.” He frowned. It was all so confusing.

 “Come here, Boba,” Jango said, gathering Boba in his arms and relocating to the chair by the window. For a moment, they watched the pouring rain in silence.

 “Clone or not, you’re still my son. I wanted you,” Jango said, hugging Boba against his chest. “Don’t ever forget that.”

 ***

 Now, Boba was sitting alone in a compartment on _Slave I,_ holding his father’s helmet as tears ran down his cheeks. He quickly wiped them away when the door slid open and Aurra Sing marched in. She spotted him and let out a frustrated sigh.

 “What are you doing? Bossk and I were looking all over Mos Eisley for you! I told you to wait outside the cantina.” Her eyes narrowed when she saw the helmet. “Not this again.”

 Boba felt a flush of embarrassment and shame creeping across his cheeks. He lowered his gaze. “I’m sorry, Aurra,” he mumbled. “I just…miss him so much.”

 He flinched when Aurra snatched the helmet out of his hands and threw it against the wall. “He’s _dead,_ Boba. DEAD. The only thing you can do now is avenge him. Too bad your indecisiveness on the Windu situation is hindering things.”

 Boba’s heart raced faster at the mention of Windu’s name. Sweat broke out on his forehead. “I want him dead, but I don’t…I can’t just—” Part of him was terrified to go after one of the most powerful Jedi in the galaxy, but part of him wasn’t even sure if he could follow through with it.

 “Oh, Boba,” Aurra crooned as she caressed his face. “The galaxy is a cold, unforgiving place. You can either match it in harshness or whither away and die.”

 “But, Aurra—”

 “The son of Jango Fett? A coward?” Aurra sneered. “Now, you have one minute to get to the cockpit. I’m tired of you being dead weight.”

 With that, she turned around and left.

 Boba hugged his knees to his chest and stared at the floor. He was alone. So alone.


End file.
